Center fielder Jenna Rutherford snags a flyball on the run, and then unleashes a rocket of a throw toward home plate that skips by everyone and bangs against the backstop.
It’s loud — and makes a point that Inglemoor High’s fastpitch softball players do things full on. There’s no room for softies here.
Rutherford’s arm got a workout in practice last Tuesday, but the Vikings will put their many strengths to the test this week in the 4A Kingco tournament. Inglemoor (16-4 overall at post time) will open up play against Redmond Tuesday at home.
The girls say that everyone has contributed to Inglemoor victories, noting that they’re solid throughout the lineup — from one to nine in the batting order and from pitcher to right fielder with the gloves.
Senior shortstop Kaylee Hardin can handle her bat and mitt equally well with a .477 average, .818 slugging percentage and a handful of double plays with senior second baseman Katie Walvatne and others.
“I love playing out there, and it’s fun with this group of people. I know the middle infielders, we feel so confident in everybody,” said Hardin, who added that her positive attitude and strong winter workouts have paid off. “In past years, I think we kind of psyched ourselves out a little before certain games, when it’s like, ‘Oh this team’s good, can we do it?’ But this year, we’re like, ‘We’re gonna win, this is our game.’”
Added Walvatne, a .400 hitter with about a dozen stolen bases, while glancing up at Inglemoor’s 2004 state-championship sign on the backstop: “(The last few years) it’s been a little tense, but I really think we’ve all loosened up. And with the new girls coming up, we’ve clicked a lot better.”
While Walvatne has been a menace on the basepaths this year, she had to mentally rebound from an injury while attempting to steal second base against Lake Washington last season. She collided with a Kang fielder, whose glove uppercutted into Walvatne’s face mask while tagging her out and wrenched one of her teeth out of place.
“I was bleeding, I had to jerk it back into place, back up into the gum,” she recalled. “My lip was huge and I was out for two games. My stolen bases went downhill and it was a little bit nerve-wracking.
“(But) I’m back and running this year. My tooth is fixed, I had a root canal and might have to get a fake one. No matter what — we (now) all wear mouth guards.”
Rutherford took a tumble of her own (sans injury) while snagging one of two deep flyballs against Lake Washington two weeks ago that coach Jeff Skelly said were headed for home runs.
“I basically caught it, ran past (my senior-night sign) and hit the fence,” Rutherford said with a laugh. “I’ve always loved tracking the ball and catching flyballs. The life of a center fielder.”
When Rutherford’s not patrolling center field and hitting in the .300 range, she performs with the Inglemoor theater department and plays bass guitar. In fact, her old group, Rising Union, won the school’s 2008 Battle of the Bands.
The pitching-and-catching duo of seniors Rosie Matsumoto and Amy Taylor, respectively, has been holding its own, as well. Matsumoto said her screwball and curveball have been tailing off just right and Taylor noted that pitcher and catcher have been bonding well all season.
“Us seniors have been all playing together since sophomore year, we’ve been growing together. Personally, I’ve become a stronger pitcher — mentally and physically,” Matsumoto said. “I’m definitely not a power pitcher. There’s always gonna be plays going on, there’s always gonna be action. I don’t get a lot of strikeouts, but I’m able to pitch lots of ground balls, so it’s good to have support behind me.”
As for Taylor, Skelly said she’s had some big RBIs with her bat and the players add that she’s a talented catcher.
“Amy drops some blocks like no other,” Matsumoto said of Taylor saving pitches in the dirt. At interview time, Matsumoto noted that Taylor had just two passed balls all season, but Taylor spoke up with a correction: just one passed ball.
Taylor and Matsumoto have known each other since they were 6 years old and have played softball, soccer and basketball together over the years.
Their friendship has proven to be one of the Vikings’ keys to success, they say.
“It’s nice that we’ve developed a relationship. So now if we’re in a (bad) mood, we can talk to each other without offending each other,” Taylor said. “We had a two-minute fight the other day, and then we went and talked about it and we were completely fine after that.
“I think it benefits us on the field — you can communicate easier that way.”
